Dry Age Rib-Eye steak!!!!

Dry Age Rib-Eye steak!!!!

The year is Oct 1991 and I am spending part of my honeymoon in NYC visiting family.  

My mom thought it would be a great gift to take my bride and I to a very famous

steak house located in Brooklyn New York.

Famous is putting it very mildly.  I am talking about Peter Luger Steak House EST 1887.  It is a world class steak house and to my knowledge there is no better. 

They only sell prime aged meat and don't take visa or master card. You better have cash or American Express. You cannot simply order a steak either.  You have to order a steak for one, two, or three people etc.

The steak comes plated and pre-cut and sits next to the bones for presentation. The experience was incredible and so was the food but the price was exorbitant. To this day I still remember the bill. My mom paid $586 for the meal (+ $100 tip) which only included one bottle of wine. Oy Gevalt that was fist and last time I ate there. 

So this is just one of the reasons why I just love dry age meat. Along comes UMAI dry age bags which claim you can do the same thing in your refrigerator.  UMAI "UMAi Dry® is a scientifically-proven and chef tested,unique European technology that allows anyone to create custom dry aged steak at home. The material forms a bond with the proteins on the surface of the beef allowing moisture to permeate out while blocking oxygen and off-flavors. With UMAi Dry® technology you can successfully create the ultimate dry aged steak in any well-ventilated cooler or refrigerator without risk of spoilage."

This is my first attempt using these unique bags to dry age beef!!!

What is Dry aging beef? Simply put its an old method to improve the flavor and tenderness of the meat. Dry aging is done by hanging or placing meat in a controlled , closely watched refrigerated environment. Dry aging meat is a method that allows meat because of the environment to go through a process where the beef flavor intensifies because of moisture loss and natural enzymes break down of connective tissue.  For the foodies and curious; the fungal species associated with the enzymatic break down of the connective tissue and that enhances the flavor of meat is know as Thamnidium.

I Purchased USA choice ANGUS BEEF from Costco. It weighed in at almost 16 lbs. After the dry aging process is complete and for me that will be 42 days.

 Meat all sealed up and ready to go in refrigerator.


OCT 5, 2013

The monstrous slab of beef is sitting on a trivet to elevate it so air can circulate around to help with the drying process. 


NOTICE THE FAN!!!                           

SEE YA NOV 20

Its been 3 weeks ( today is Oct 26)  and the beef is coming along great.  The transformation has begun.  The enzymes in the meat and the muscles cells have begun to break down the meats proteins and glycogen.  This dry age masterpiece, will spring to life in your mouth upon first bite and because it's loss some of it's moisture the flavors will be concentrated and the tissue becomes more profound. The Texture is amazing.  The dry age meat will be still juicy although some of its moisture has been lost but more pronounced and more delicious. 

26 days of dry aging.
















All done..... after 42 days the dry-aging is complete.  The pictures are taken exactly 42 days later. 

You see the dark Mahogany crust that has formed on the outside? Beautiful color. 

Starting to trim it up a bit.  Starting to remove the outer protective dry meat.  

The above picture shows all the trimmings. 

All the steaks trimmed and ready to be grilled. 

My final thoughts.  Dry-aging meat is a great way to take an average piece of meat and make it great. Using the UMAI bags produced dry-age meat!!! However, I will admit that buying a sub primal cut  from Costco which of course is "choice meat" left me slightly dissatisfied. No one really knows what kind of hunk of meat you get until you cut into it.  The Costco meat has always been hit and miss for me. Maybe my expectations were to high?   Definitely not enough marbling in the choice meat selection.  

Next time I will try to use PRIME meat or pick a better sub primal cut. I think the Business Costco that serves restaurants will probably carry what I want.